Vero Beach council candidates debate utility, budget issues at forum

VERO BEACH — The sale of the municipal electric system continues to be the hottest topic in the City Council race as the city draws closer to a possible deal with Florida Power & Light Co.

Six of the seven City Council candidates appeared at a forum held Thursday night by the Republican Evening Club of Indian River County.

The seats currently held by Mayor Pilar Turner, Vice Mayor Craig Fletcher and City Councilman Jay Kramer are up for election. In addition to the incumbents, the candidates include former City Councilman Brian Heady, former County Commission candidate Nick Thomas, attorney Dan Stump and political newcomer Karen Kozdra. Kozdra did not attend the forum.

Turner, Fletcher and Stump came out strongly for the sale of the electric system to FPL. Thomas said he although he was opposed to the sale, he favored a referendum allowing the people to decide.

Kramer said he was not in favor of the process going forward with FPL being the sole bidder for the system. He said he would be happy to sell to FPL if they were the best bidder in a competitive process.

Heady noted he had been one of the council members who had invited FPL to bid on the system a few years ago. He said although he was in favor of the sale, he agreed with Kramer that there should have been other bidders.

Turner said the sale to FPL with its lower rates was the best choice for the area's economic development.

Turner said officials have a chance to restructure a city she indicated had grown bloated with employees with excessive benefits because of the electric utility revenue.

"Let's deal with the issues and build a stronger Vero Beach," she said.

Thomas contended there is "absolutely no guarantee that FPL will offer lower rates over the short or long term."

He, too, complained that the utility has not been offered to multiple bidders and the city has yet to discuss the potential impact of losing millions of dollars in annual income it receives now from its electric utility.

Fletcher said such discussions have taken place and options have been presented. Those options are being further analyzed by the city's Finance Commission, he said. Some of the options, such as using money left over from the sale to relieve the city of some of its large pension obligations, were discussed at Tuesday's City Council meeting, noted Fletcher.

Stump, like Turner, sees the lower electric rates now offered by FPL as a catalyst for the community's economy. He said other companies looked at the city's system, but could not compete with FPL's rates.

All the candidates opposed merging the city's police department with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office to save money.

"It is not going to happen," said Fletcher.

Stump said having the sheriff's department absorb the police department should be one of the last things considered to reduce the budget.

Kramer contended there would not really be any cost savings through such a merger, while Heady said he did not think residents would get the service they get now if such a merger took place.

Thomas, in an apparent reference to the police department's unhappiness with the city's contract offer and the possible demotions of some officers, said he did not want to see police demoralized "like they are now."

There also was general opposition to the county taking over the city's water and sewer system, at least under the terms of an offer made by the county. That offer basically involving paying off the system's bonds and paying for connecting the two systems.

Kramer contended the city's system was actually more profitable than the county's system, although his financial analysis of the two systems has been contested by some county officials. Turner, while not happy with the county's offer, said there are economies of scale in having a larger system and the city needs to continue looking at a possible consolidation of the systems.